Upcoming Windows Vista/Win 7 Operating System
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Since around Windows 98, Microsoft has claimed that MSDOS programs will no longer be supported. However, MSDOS programs heve been fully executable (with a few exceptions) right up through Win XP Professional.

With the upcoming release of Windows Vista/Win 7, I fear that the end may actually be in sight because the current word is that Vista/Win 7 will not support any DOS programs or Windows "16 bit" programs. Pscale/Win and Ptools/Win are actually "16 bit" programs initially developed on the Windows 3.X platform. The current word is that the "16 bit" kernal will also not be supported by Windows Vista/Win 7. Update! Windows Vista/Win 7 32 bit runs Pscale and Ptools as well as most Windows 16 bit and MSDOS programs. 64 bit Versions of Vista and Win 7 will NOT run Pscale or Ptools. I do have a useable work around for 64 bit systems but you should contact me for specifics.

I have spent hundreds (probably into the thousands) of hours coding Pscale and Ptools starting with the DOS versions in the early 90's and migrating to the Win Versions in the later 90's

I will be amazed if the Windows Vista/Win 7 release actually abandons DOS and "16 bit" legacy support. If it does, there will be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of pissed off people and it actually may be the the nail in the coffin that actually levels the Microsoft dominance in the PC market.

Technology advances are great but my tuning hammer purchased in 1973 is still serving me daily and it is a fine tool.

The irony here is that if Microsoft actually does this, and trust me, there is a marketing (not security) reason for doing this, the MSDOS versions of Pscale and Ptools will live on because enterprising people have written free, open source, MSDOS emulators (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net and www.pocketdos.com) that will run the MSDOS versions of software on many different operating systems - Linux - Mac - BSD etc. Fortunately, MSDOS will live beyound my life time and it should.

The verdict is still out, but please don't throw away your old Win 98/ME/XP machines or Disks yet and jump to Windows Vista/Win 7 because it is the latest and greatest.

I will conclude with: 1] an opinion on Microsoft marketing motives and 2] a real life observation regarding the stupidity of abandoning MSDOS support.

1] If Microsoft completely abandons all DOS and "16 bit" windows support I can only conclude that they are doing this because they purchased "Virtual PC:" a few years ago and will be able to sell this at an extra $100.00 per pop to anyone who has a Windows Vista/Win 7 machine and needs to run "legacy" older software.  They can also continue to sell Windows 98/XP for a while to the poor people who do not have their old install disks. That's alright if we can get VMWare to do something to kill this. But, everyone will still need their old Win 98/XP install disks.

2] As an example, there is a MSDOS program named FTP.EXE that is available on all recent versions of Windows. This little DOS program (yeah, I know, DOS is dead) allows me (an countless others) to back up data files to any web site server in an extremely simple and efficient manner by creating a small text file with some directives of what is to be backed up. So, if I click the Windows Start, Run, and enter the command: c:\myscale\ftp.exe -s:upload.upl (could be simplified to  myscaleb.bat) everything that I want backed up to a web site server (defined in the upload.upl script file) will be. Do I need to manually open a program, manually select multiple files, manually select the host server, and then click upload? No!! We are supposed to be able to save time with computers, not spend more time. But, yes, the new windows versions will probably allow us to essentially do the same thing but we must spend even more time to learn the new "script" commands or "purchase" extra tools to help. I predict that there will be a major outcry if Vista/Win 7 launches without legacy MSDOS support. If so, I hope there is.

Finally, I would like to add that the "Open Source" software movement is the consumers ultimate friend to the dominance of Microsoft. The "open source" movement is the main entity that is keeping Microsoft from having a near total monopoly on the desktop computer market.

We now know that MSDOS will never die because the open source "DosBox" will run DOS programs on all future versions of Windows, Linux, BSD, MacOS10, and others. Also, PocketDos is available for the PocketPC. I suspect, that in time, all of these enterprising folks will also create true Win 9X emulators. I hope they do because Microsoft will not.

Microsoft can say 4Q2 to small people like me but I say, they will get their true due, in time.

Tremaine Parsons RPT
05/26/06


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